Tie down anchor with safety means



Jan. 30, 1968 B. FEINSTEIN ETAL 3,366,295

TIE DOWN ANCHOR WITH SAFETY MEANS Filed April 5, 1966 u R mwm w mmm M W5 7A 1W 3 M 51 V1 B a M H@U 1 Q United States Patent ()fi ice 3,366,296 Patented Jan. 30, 1968 3,366,296 TIE DOWN ANCHOR WHTH SAFETY MEANS Ben Feinstein, Los Angeles, and Leonard Wirth, Encino, Calif. (both of 711 Gibbons St, Los Angeles, Calif. 90031) Filed Apr. 5, 1966, Ser. No. 540,263 2 Claims. (Cl. 224-421) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to anchors that are used to secure tie down straps and the like, and is particularly concerned with anchors that hook onto the gutters of auto tops for the fixing of objects atop the auto, it being a general object of this invention to provide an anchor that cannot he accidentally displaced from its intended engagement with a gutter or like rail.

The tie down of objects onto the tops of automobiles can be dangerous, as when hook-type anchors are employed and which are adversely affected in the event that looseness occurs in the tie down cords or straps. For instance, the cords or straps can stretch, or the objects being fixed can compress, or the atmospheric conditions and temperatures can cause expansion and/or contraction, and all of which can result in looseness in the cords or straps. Needless to say, a simple hook can be displaced and disengaged from an anchor point when slack occurs in the line connected thereto. To this end, therefore, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a safety means in a hook-type anchor, and which will not become disengaged from its anchor point when slack develops in the line connected thereto.

An object of this invention is to provide a tie down anchor of the type commonly employed as a carrier fixing hook for the tops of automobiles and which is improved in its fundamental capability of being locked in a selected working position along the gutter or rail of the auto top. Hooks of this general description are ordinarily simple hooks that are devoid of mechanism which would prevent accidental displacement, and it is not uncommon for such hooks to drop out of anchored engagement. On the contrary, the safety-type carrier hook of the present invention is not displaceable from working position when set in engagement with the gutter or rail and danger of releasing a carrier or object from the top of an auto is virtually eliminated.

It is an object of this invention to provide a tie down anchor of the hook-type, as hereinabove referred to, wherein a very simple yet effective safety means is operable to lock thesame to the gutter or rail of the auto lt is still another object of this invention to provide versatile tie means which is adaptable to various strapping, rope or cord and the like and which passes the strapping etc. from various angular relationships without danger of cutting the anchor point of engagement.

The various objects and features of this invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description of the typical preferred form and application thereof, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a typical auto top construction, illustrating a typical installation of the anchor of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view taken as indicated by line 2-2 on FIG. 1 and shows the front side of the anchor.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing the anchor from the back side thereof.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1, illustrating the diagonal application of ties.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional View taken as indicated by line 5-5 on FIG. 3.

In the drawings we show a fragmentary portion of a typical automobile top in cross section and which involves a frame member 10, a top panel 11, and a gutter 12. It is the gutter 12 to which the tie down anchor A is attached, it being understood that the anchor A is applicable for attachment to any like gutter or channel-like rail. In the preferred embodiment it is an auto top which presents the problem of securernent and which heretofore has been subject to the dangers of such hooks being disengaged, and to this end this disclosure will be limited to an auto top application of the invention.

The frame member 10 is shown in its typical form, and it is the horizontal header part that establishes the roof line along the tops of the doors and/or windows. The doors and windows are not shown. The member 10 is tubular in cross section and carries an integral laterally projecting flange 13 which cooperatively provides the bottom of the gutter and also for the attachment of the top panel 11. The top panel 11 is a crowned part that curves outwardly and downwardly so as to engage with the flange 13 where it is provided with a mating flange 15 that is welded to the aforementioned flange 13. Thus, the structure at the flanges 1 315 is at least of double thickness, and in the case illustrated is of triple thickness since the flange 13 is itself a double thickness part. As a result, the frame member and top panel connection is sturdy and presents a rugged point of attachment for the anchor A.

A characteristic feature of most auto top constructions is the provision of the gutter 12 which involves an upturned wall 16 at the marginal edge of the flange connection 13-15. It is most usual for the wall 16 to project substantially vertical and most often in a plane that is parallel with the adjacent top 11 contour. The gutter 12 not only serves in the capacity of a drain for water run-oil, but is a decorative part that is rounded for a finished appearance and/ or for the application thereto of an overlay of trim metal. And, it is this gutter wall 16 which is the part that enables the hooked engagement of the anchor A and which further enables the safety locked feature hereinafter described. For example, and as clearly shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the wall 16 is turned back upon itself at its top edge 17 as well as at its lower edge 18. Therefore, the joinder of the wall 16 to the flange 13 is necessarily characterized by a downwardly disposed groove 19 with a lip and over and into which the hook of the anchor A is to be engaged.

In accordance with the invention we provide the tie down anchor A which is engageable, for example, with the auto top construction hereinabove described. Generally, the tie down anchor A involves a body B with hook means C and tie means D, and a lock means E. The body B with its means C and D is a single device integrally formed from one piece of material, while the lock means E is a separate device that is cooperatively related to the body B and hook means C so as to establish a coaction of elements when the anchor A is installed on a channel shaped gutter such as the gutter 12 above described.

The body B which involves the integral formation of the hook means C and the means D is a sheet metal part having a fiat plate section 20 that extends intermediate the said means C and D. The hook means C is formed at the lower end of the plate 20 while the tie means D is formed at the upper end of the plate 20, the plate 20 being disposed to project upwardly from and in a plane is formed at the upper end of the plate 20, the plate 3 immediately outside of the plane of the wall 16. Thus, the plate is spaced from and extends substantially parallel to or toward the auto top 11.

The hook means C is a curved continuation of the plate 20 and is reinforced or strengthened with vertically disposed ribs 21. The body portion 22 of the hook is convexly curved so that its inside face conforms to the outside face of wall 16 to engage with the same. The curved lowermost seat portion 23 of the hook is more acutely convexly curved so that it forms a hook-throat and so that its inside seating face conforms more or less with the lowermost edge 18 of the wall 16. The endmost point 24 of the hook is straight and is acutely angular to the planar disposition of the plate 20, and this point 24 projects into the groove 13 where it has a straight normally disposed end for hearing purposes or that can engage the groove 19 for guiding purposes during installation. When the anchor A is installed, it is the seat portion 23 which has upward bearing engagement with the lowermost edge 18 of the wall 16, where said wall joins the flange 13 through the curved groove portion of the gutter 12.

As is shown in detail in FIG. 5, the body B is encased within a protective coating 28, not only to preserve the body B but also to avoid abuse 'to the auto top construction and to avoid cutting of the straps or ties. In practice, the coating 28 is a substantially thick coating of plastic material such as vinyl or the like.

The tie down means D is preferably a straight continuation of the plate section 20 and involves a unique opening 25 which is adapted to accommodate the various types annd widths of tie elements. The most desirable tie element is a wide strap 26 and alternately a narrow strap 27, said straps 26-27 being passed through the opening 25 and then to a tangent point with the top 11, or to the object being tied down. Primarily, the opening 25 is a horizontally disposed slot with top and bottom walls 30 and 31, and with rounded ends spaced substantially more than the width of the wide strap 26, and, for example, one inch wide and more than ample inch strap 26. A recess 32 approximately the width of said wide strap 26 is formed in the top wall 30 presenting a straight seat for the full engagement of the said wide strap: It is to be understood that one inch wide straps can be accommodated in the opening 25. Secondarily, the opening 25 has a cord and strap positioning notch 33 centrally of the recess 32, and this notch is concaved and is rounded where it joins the straight seat of the recess 32. In FIG. 3 a cord is shown engaged in the notch 33. The opening 25 is of the peculiar shape above described so that the straps 26-27 are centered and can lead straight away from the anchor A or can lead angularly. In the first instance, the strap 26-27 seat fiat with the recess 32, while in the second instance the width of the angularly related strap 26-27 reaches from the notch 33 to the end of the recess 32 or end of the primary slot respectively.

In accordance with the invention we provide the lock means E in the form of a separate and manually operable device that cooperates with the plate 20, seat por tion 23, and wall 16 of the gutter 12 to lock the anchor A in a selected place of engagement. The means E involves a strut 35 and a clamp to fixedly position the strut relative to the parts 20, 23, and 16. The strut 35 is a movable part that has several modes of movement, one mode to accommodate the variations in thickness of the gutter bottoms and another mode to accommodate the variations in thickness of the wall 16, and both modes of movement being operable to forcibly lock the anchor A in the place of engagement along the gutter 12. The clamp 40 applies the force to so lock the strut.

The strut 35 is essentially a leg that swings from the plate 20 with a foot 36 spaced from a pivot 37 located centrally on the plate 26. Like the body B, the strut 35 can be encased in a protective coating. The pivot 37 is integrally joined to the strut 35 and passes through the plate 20 with clearance thereby permitting the strut to move toward and away from the plate, and thereby permitting the strut to swing. The radial displacement of the foot 36 from the pivot is somewhat greater than the spacing of the gutter bottom from said pivot 37, and the said foot 36 is cam-shaped with a convex form of less radius than the strut length. Therefore, the strut 37 swings downward to engage the gutter bottom (FIG. 3) whereupon it is the cam-shaped foot 36 that is forcibly wedged against said gutter bottom.

The clamp 40 can vary and is shown as a nut, preferably a wing-nut 41 threadedly engaged on the pivot 37 outside the plate 20 and operable to pull the strut 35 toward the plate. The above described forcible wedging of the strut end or foot 36 against the gutter bottom is inherent and automatic in the operation of the clamp 40, which involves the right hand threading of the pivot 37 whereby the clockwise turning of the wing-nut 41 revolves the strut 35 into forcible engagement while it is simultaneously clamped to the flange 16. The lateral clamping engagement is ettected by providing a fulcrum 42 at the terminal upper end of the strut 35. From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the anchor A with its lock means E can be loosely related to the gutter 12, held in place and the strut 35 permitted to drop into engagement with the gutter bottom. The clamp means 40 is then manually operated to pull the radially extending strut 35 toward the plate 20 with the upstanding wall 16 of the gutter forcibly clamped therebetween. It will be apparent that tension of the straps 26-27 is in no way relied upon to maintain the fixed placement of the anchor A on the gutter 12, said placement being ensured by the cooperative engagement of the relatively movable and coacting parts, all as hereinabove described.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of our invention, we do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but wish to reserve to ourselves any modifications or variations that may appear to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. An anchor for the securement of varied width tie down straps and cords and adapted to be removably attached to a rail having a bottom and an upstanding flange, and including: a flat body with a plate section disposed to extend upwardly from the flange, with hook means at the lower end of the body disposed to fit around and beneath the flange, and with tie means at the upstanding end of the body and comprising an opening through the upper portion of the body, said opening having a horizontal slot as long as a wide strap, there being a centered recess in the upper wall of the slot as long as the width of a narrow strap, and there being a central notch in the recess to receive a cord and the edges of narrow straps, and lock means comprising a part movably carried by the plate section of the body to engage the bottom of the channel and to engage the flange in opposition to the hook means and a releasable clamp forcing the said part into said dual engagement with said bottom and flange respectively.

2. An anchor for the securement of tie down straps and the like and adapted to be removably attached to a rail having a bottom and an upstanding flange, and including: a fiat body with a plate section disposed to extend upwardly from the flange, with hook means at the lower end of the body disposed to fit around and beneath the flange, and with tie means at the upstanding end of the body to receive the tie down straps, and lock means comprising a depending strut pivoted to the plate section of the body and with a cam-shaped foot wedgedly engageable with the bottom of the channel and with a fulcrum at the upper terminal end and its lowermost 5 side opposing the plate section to engage With the channel flange disposed therebetween, and a releasable clamp comprising the integral joinder of a threaded pivot to the said depending strut and threaded engagement of a manually operable nut on said pivot and engageable With the plate section of the body to simultaneously revolve the cam-shaped foot of the strut into forcible engagement With the bottom of the channel and to forcibly pull the References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Ellis 224-421 Potts et a1. 224-42.1 Mathews 22.4-42.1 Willard 224-42.1 Nielsen 22442.1 X

pivoted strut to said section with the channel flange dis- 10 GERALD FORLENZA Primary Examiner F. E. WERNER, Assistant Examiner.

posed therebetween. 

